E-mail submission from Anthony L Hall,
Esq, Turks and Caicos Islands
My name is Anthony Hall. I am a "Belonger"
from the UK Overseas Territory of the Turks and Caicos Islands
(TCI).
I am writing to you in your capacity as the
newly-appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office, with responsibilities for Overseas
Territories—particularly the Caribbean.
I understand that the Foreign Affairs Committee
is currently taking evidence pursuant to a new enquiry to assess
the FCO's achievements against its Strategic Priority No 10, the
security and good governance of the Overseas Territories.
In this regard, I suspect that very troubling
evidence will be submitted to the Committee with respect to the
TCI. More to the point, however, I fear that even a cursory audit
of the TCI financial sector will reveal gross shortcomings in
the required standards of transparency and accountability. Moreover,
I suspect that the Committee will be compelled to deem these shortcomings
so egregious that they indict the leadership and integrity not
only of our local goverment, but also of the Governor appointed
by the UK Government.
Perhaps I should offer a little here to establish
my bona fides: I am a practicing lawyer—headquartered in
Washington DC. But, for the purposes of this appeal, it is probably
best to refer you to my weblog, which contains my biography and
might indicate why I was moved to contact you: http://ipjn.com
Specifically, I would like to draw your attention
to an article I published only today, which highlights my concerns
about the TCI Premier's disregard for the rule of law and the
chilling effect his abuse of power is having on law enforcement
and our Judiciary: "No public interest" in prosecuting
TCI Premier Misick for assault, theft and obstruction of justice?!
Clearly, I cannot fully convey in this forum
the growing apprehension and unease Premier Misick's rule is causing
amongst TCI professionals, especially those in our expatriate
community. But the FCO should be mindful that Premier Misick has
made it patently-clear that he intends to play the Mugabe card
to undermine the Committee's findings of rampant corruption throughout
his government, which he and most TC Islanders fully expect will
be the case.
I am convinced, however, that there's a way
to not only report your findings, but also to act upon them in
manner that furthers justice with minimal civil unrest.
But I shall end here to give you a chance to
review this e-mail and my standing in this regard. After you have
done so, however, I hope that you will deem it worthwhile to invite
me to discuss these matters further.
10 October 2007
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